Adding A Pop of Color to a Mediocre Sky

I Will Not be Silenced These Next 4 Years:

The inauguration was trashy and tacky and tired…let’s move on. Oh and Chrisette Michelle and her Basquiat skirt is canceled.

I want to address why it is imperative that people who are working for equality and the betterment of this country should not allow others to silence them. This is a rant and will consist of my current thoughts. Sorry in advance J.

I use social media as my platform to bring awareness to the good, the bad, and the ugliness of our world today. My social media posts range from Beyonce’s diet plan to the Migos releasing an album, to Trump’s executive decisions. I don’t allow my platform to revolve around just one topic. However, lately my Facebook has been used as a way to discuss different issues going on with our federal government. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, everybody knows Facebook is the website that allows you to keep up with your aunts and uncles, and to judge the hell out of your high school and college classmates. I know I’m not the only person, who adds old classmates, solely to be nosey.

Adding old classmates and coworkers to my Facebook has been one of the stupidest decisions I’ve ever made, due to the fact it has illustrated how ridiculous a lot of my old friends’ views are. I’ve had Facebook friends to call Obama a monkey. I’ve had friends that have sympathized with Dylan Roof. I’ve had friends that have attempted to slander Beyonce. I’ve had friends that have justified the killings of Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, and many more Blacks who have lost their lives simply because of the color of their skin. I’ve had White friends who have openly said the “n” word and the “f” word on their profiles. I’ve even had conspiracy theorist friends who have posted about how the Holocaust and slavery was not as bad as the world makes it.

I can go on all day about the crazy shit I see on different social media sites; but I want even waste your time. One thing I love about social media today is the fact that it is highlighting the things our country has spent decades hiding from the public. Granted I’ve known about how racial police forces have been, yet until the social media age… I had never seen somebody getting beat or killed for “making an armed office feel threatened”. I’ve heard about people calling somebody the “n” word in public, but until I was able to get on Twitter and see different videos, it was not something that I dealt with often.

And now that I see a police shooting, racial profiling, or murder of a minority so often; I’ve become used to it. Why is it a normal thing in America for a minority to get shitted on? Why? Why is it every time I see something gory that involves a Black person getting beat or murdered on Twitter that its become a second nature?

I shared a link on Facebook a few days ago about Trump charging the taxpayers to build the wall, and my old coworker commented telling me I talk about racial tension too much. She felt that by me speaking on it, I was igniting problems into the world. Granted this is the same girl who felt it was rude to not agree with a neo-nazi ; so I mean what can I expect? Then in the comments I have another friend who tells me, if I’m so upset with Trump, I should just go “back” to another country. (Back to another country? What’s that supposed to insinuate?)

Then I saw another post of a Trump supporter saying “We [democrats or Black people] got our turn to have Obama, so now it’s their [republicans] turn to have Trump”… whatever that’s supposed to mean. Then the same girl went on to say that Obama is the reason racial tensions in the country have started, and because of Obama she no longer has Black friends because we are too angry for her to deal with… (Mind you this lady is an elementary teacher).

People are so uncomfortable with minorities speaking their minds, being educated and successful; so now they are doing everything they can do to silence us. Racists are so uncomfortable with the fact that their hidden characteristic has come to light, and now they are having to face the consequences of wanting a divide in the country.

People are upset about women and men marching in the Women’s Marches throughout the country. People are upset with women wanting rights to birth control and abortions. People are upset that the LGBT community is not allowing society to silence them. People are upset that HBCUS exist. People are upset that minority programs exist. And the people I am speaking on are the men and women that are leading our government.

I don’t want you to read this and just share it with a friend. I want you to read this and figure out what you can specifically do to better this country. Whether it means voting during every election, starting an organization that will help those affected by the new laws our government is passing or whatever. Marching. Calling your local representatives. DO SOMETHING. This country is about to make a turn for the worse, and it’s our job to make this country a place that holds respect for each and every person.